The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-09-15
THEY RAN AWAY.
BY REBECCA HARDING DAVIS.

BY REBEccA HARDING DAVIS.
Ny aunt, said the doctor, was brought
up in queer way, different from any
American girl, though she was an Ameri-
can.
Among the mountains in Pennsylvania
there are two or three ancient German
towns, founded long before the Revolu-
tion, by the Moravians. The huge, mas
sive stone buildings stand still-and are
likely to stand for centuries-in which
the early communities dwelt together,
yet separate. There are the Brother and
Sister Houses, and the Gemein, or Com
mon House. These are occupied now
by the widows of Moravian missionaries
with their children.
There is deadly quiet and chilly
cleanliness about these great dwellings.
Each little suite of family rooms open
out into wide stone corridors, in which
no speck of dust is allowed to remain.
A fly would hardly dare to enter the
open windows, to disturb that absolute
order and silence.
My Aunt Maria was the only daughter
of one of these widows. She had never
known any other home than the huge
Sister House, where life went on like a
clock that moved without ticking.
She rose at dawn, and helped her
mother put their three neat rooms into
still more perfect order. Then she ate
her breakfast, and was washed for the
second time; her faxcn hair was plated
behind, and tied with bow of brown
ribbon; then, books in hand, the de-
mure little maiden paced across the
green quadrangle to the school where
all the children of the church were
taught. When school was over, she sat
with her knitting by her mothers side.
She never had ventured into the quiet
'treet alone.
On rare occasions the children in the
Community houses played hide and d-seek
in the attics which ran under the roof
around the three sides of the great
square. These proceedings, however,
were usually regarded as disorderly by
the grave widows.
But Maria had one adventure in her
life which rose out of it, as the peak of
J Teneriffc does out of the fiat ocean
around it. When she was ten years old,
she ran away How it came about no.
body ever knew, Maria herself least of
all. 1t may have grown out of tempo
rary insanity, the reaction from the long
dullness and quiet.
John Freisag, the Widow Freitag's
son, persuaded her into it.. He told her
of the plan hundred times, on the way
home from school. Some of the town
boys told him of it; it was an everyday
matter to them. When old Gottfrcy
Sohner started to the next settlement.
about five miles down the valley, his
wagon loaded with great bags of corn,
the boys would hide among the topmost
sacks, and there lie safely until the end
Of the journey was reached. Gottfrey
was good -humored old man, and, after
grumbling little, always brought them
back in the empty wagon before night.
fall.
The idea grew, week after week, il
the little girls mind, under her dull
eyes and smooth plaits, and at last sh,
suddenly declared that she would go ant
"see the world"
One morning in September, afte
Maria and John had gone into the schoo
and hung up their wraps, they tool
them down again, walked slowly out o
the door, and down the street to the inl
yard. Even in running away, they dit
not hurry; they did not know how t,
hurry. In the yard stood Sohner's grea
wagon, heaped with sacks. Nobod.
was near, and they climbed up and hic
in the hollows on the top. Present.
the mules were brought out and har
messed, Gottfrey climbed up and cracket
his whip, the great mass shook ant
rocked, and they were off,
My aunt always told me that she wa
not afraid. She forgot her mother, ant
that she was committing horrible sin
according to the rules that she had beel
taught.
"It was all so strange and beautiful,
she used to say; ''the clouds rushin
past us overhead, the moving processio
of trees, the strong wind-I was wild
could have shrieked for joyw
1 always fancied my staid aunt had
turbulent heart under her brown capt
Both the children soon fell asleep, be
ing unused to the steady rocking motion
When they awoke the suR was oveI
head. Could Gottfrey have spent fou
hours in driving five milesl Could b
, be going farther than usualf The
,, whispered to each other in alarm, bu
there was no way of finding the real sit
: uation. John had never made this des
perate venture before, and therefor
/. knew none of the landmarks. The
!. dared not let Gottfrey know that the
: were there until the journey was ovel
! or he might abandon them on the roaG
Who knew what wild beasts inhabite
these jungles of laurel through whic
!, they drovel
Noon passed. GQttfIsY Etoppsd !